The Chicago Bears will come into the 2018 season with a lot of question marks. First and foremost, will Mitchell Trubisky take the next step in his development? Did the Bears add the right weapons on offense to help him take that step? Chicago was plenty active in the off-season this year, building a team that looks eerily similar to the Eagles 2017 offense on paper.

Comprising the role of 2nd-year breakout QB will be Trubisky. In 2017, after taking over in the fifth game of the season, the young quarterback had mixed results. When you consider the talent (or lack thereof) on last years offense the results are pretty much what you’d expect from a rookie QB. This year the Bears went out and brought in Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel, and rookie Anthony Miller to help add some firepower to the offense. With 12 starts under his belt, a solid running game, and a rebuilt receiving corps, I think we’ll see more than a few fantasy-relevant weeks out of Trubisky. When you factor in his ability to create plays with his feet we could be looking at a legitimate sleeper. Trubisky is a great value as a second quarterback in 2 QB leagues and a name to watch in 12-team leagues.

Jordan Howard will play a big factor in Trubisky’s advancement by returning to his 2016 form when he had 1300 yards in 13 starts. Howard is a very capable workhorse back who can play on all three downs. He’s had 1100+ yards and 6+ TD in each of his first two professional seasons and he’s going to easily reach those levels again in 2018. He’s also contributed 20+ receptions in each season and if it weren’t for Tarik Cohen, he’d be in the #1 overall conversation. I have Howard as a back-end RB1 this year. Speaking of Cohen, after bursting onto the scene in the first four weeks of the season last year, his play regressed a bit down the stretch. That will happen with rookie running backs as scouting reports circulate around the league but Cohen’s talent, particularly in the passing game, is undeniable. He’s a perfect compliment Howard the way Corey Clement worked behind LeGarrette Blount and Jay Ajayi for the Eagles. I have Cohen as a RB3/FLEX in PPR leagues and a must-own handcuff in standard formats.

The Bears will need a lot more from the receiving corps if they’re to improve offensively and Allen Robinson will be the biggest factor there. Robinson averaged 76 catches, 1142 yards and 10 TD with Blake Bortles throwing him the rock in 2015-2016 before missing all of 2017 with an injury. He should give Trubisky the big play-making threat to take the top off defenses all season long. What will really make life easier is for the talented Kevin White to finally make good on those talents. White has managed to play in only 5 NFL games since being drafted #7 overall in 2016. You can’t assume a guy with that kind of injury history will play a full 16 games, but if he does there is sleeper value here. The Swiss Army Knife man in Taylor Gabriel will offer a weapon who can hurt teams both as a receiver and a runner on designed packages while rookie Anthony Miller carries some sleeper value as the likely slot receiver out of the gate. Allen is a must own WR1/2 while White and Miller should be targeted as bench depth fliers for their sleeper upside, particularly in PPR leagues for Miller.

At tight end, the Bears added Trey Burton who is a valuable option as a receiver and they’ll be deploying several two-tight-end sets with second-year TE Adam Shaheen. Shaheen was a highly touted receiving prospect in the 2017 draft but in the down year for the Bears offense, he failed to stand out. Both players should see plenty of targets the same way the Eagles deployed Zach Ertz and Burton in 2017. I like Shaheen as a Top 15 TE with breakout upside a little more than Burton, but both options should be watched as possible late-round values in deeper fantasy formats.